English Writing Skills REVIEW Lenoir Community College, Kinston, NC ppt

Parts of the Sentence A sentence is a group of words with a subject and predicate in an independent clause.. Compound Subject – two or more persons, places, or things used as subjects t

English Writing Skills

L e n o i r C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e , K i n s t o n , N C

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES—It is Lenoir Community College’s intent to make

reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities If special assistance is

needed, please give the college prior notice by calling: (252) 527-6223.

R E V I E W

E NGLISH S EMINAR

I Parts of Speech

Every word in a sentence is used as a particular part of speech Some words can function as more than one part of speech

Noun names, person, place, or thing Martha likes trout

Did the class see the President?

Pronoun takes place of a noun You and I must try to help

everyone

Adjective Modifies noun or pronoun What a hot day!

They were delighted

Verb Shows action or expresses a state of

being

They played and sang

He is a freshman

They have been singing

I will have been chosen

Adverb Modifies verb, adjective, or another

adverb

We soon quit

I am very excited

It happened quite suddenly

Preposition Relates its noun or pronoun object to

another word

Two of the gifts under the Christmas tree had my name

on them

Conjunction Joins words, phrases, or clauses Ed or Joe attended

After I finish, I will call Neither Tom nor Jane came

Interjection Expresses moderate or strong feelings Wow! Ouch!

Oh, I don’t mind

Identify the part of speech of each underlined word

1 Light the candles now [ ]

2 A light rain fell all afternoon [ ]

3 A blue light flashed in my rear view mirror [ ]

4 Cars whizzed by [ ]

5 Dad traveled by airplane to the medical conference [ ]

7 We will sail up the river [ ]

8 Can you top that? [ ]

9 Lock the top drawer [ ]

10 We climbed to the top [ ]

12 That looks beautiful on her [ ]

13 He did it for you [ ]

14 I slept, for I was tired [ ]

15 While you take the test, I will wait [ ]

II Parts of the Sentence

A sentence is a group of words with a subject and predicate in an independent clause It begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, a question mark, or an exclamation mark Parts include subjects, predicates, objects, objective complements, subjective complements, phrases, and clauses

A Subjects and Predicates

Simple Subject – person, place, or thing doing the action or shown to exist

• The old road along the coast leads you to the bridge

Compound Subject – two or more persons, places, or things used as subjects to the same verb

• The old road and the bridge need repair

Complete Subject – the simple or compound subjects and their modifiers

• The old road along the coast leads you to the bridge

Simple Predicate – any helping verbs plus main verb which tell what the subject does or what the subject is

• A noted scientist will speak here tonight

• Dr Jones is finally retiring from the college

Compound Predicate – two or more main verbs plus helping verbs

• Literature delights and teaches us many lessons

Complete Predicate – helping and main verbs and their modifiers and complements

• Literature teaches us many lessons

Identify the underlined word groups as simple subject, compound subject, complete subject, simple predicate, compound predicate or complete predicate

1 Seagulls were flying around the pier [ ]

2 Seagulls were flying around the pier and were searching for food [ ]

3 Seagulls were flying around the pier [ ]

4 The members of the Student Government Association have arrived [ ]

5 The members of the Student Government Association have arrived [ ]

6 Tom and Craig won the local talent contest [ ]

7 Listen carefully [ ]

8 There are many questions [ ]

9 Down the corridor came the college president [ ]

10 Where are you going? [ ]

B Objects, Object Complements, and Subject complements

Direct Object – noun or pronoun that receives the action or is acted upon

• I completed the application form Jane called you

Indirect Object – noun or pronoun that comes between verb and direct object and receives or benefits from the direct object

• Karen sent Tony a present I gave you the message

Object of Preposition – noun or pronoun following preposition that establishes a relationship between the noun or pronoun and another word in sentence

• I found the book on the fiction shelf in the library

Object Complement – noun or adjective following the direct object and renaming or

describing the direct object

• We elected Beth chairman They considered him lucky

Predicate Nominative – noun or pronoun following linking verb and renaming the subject

• Tim Hill was the Democratic candidate It is I

Predicate Adjective – adjective following linking verb and describing the subject

• He is happy He has always been athletic and competitive

Identify the underlined group of words as one of the above:

1 The lead in the operetta is my cousin [ ]

2 A recording provided the background music [ ]

3 Jane sold the girls tickets to the LCC musical [ ]

4 At that time, labor was very cheap [ ]

5 The club members voted Kathryn president [ ]

6 Those clothes look stylish [ ]

7 I said that [ ]

8 The engineer found himself prepared for the job [ ]

9 A stranger gave Joe and Stephen five dollars [ ]

10 It is he [ ]

11 Tony will become a pediatrician [ ]

12 I bought the books form the bookstore in the student union [ ]

C Phrases: Groups of words without subjects and predicates

Prepositional – The children rode on the bus

Appositive – John, my best friend, served in the U.S Army

Verbal verb forms functioning as another part of speech

Gerund – phrase beginning with –ing verb and used as a noun (subject, object, predicate nominative)

• Winning the bridge game required concentration

• He enjoys playing cards His hobby is singing

Infinitive – phrase beginning with to plus a verb and used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb

• To win the bridge game required concentration

• He prefers to eat at Hardee’s

• The executive to talk with is Mr Smith

• He exercised to improve his health

Participial – phrase beginning with –ing, -ed, -en, -n verb and used as adjective

• The young man reading the mystery novel is my son

• Reading the mystery novel, my son did not hear me

• John, having applied for the job, waited for a reply

Label the underlined phrase as prepositional, appositive, or verbal

1 Gene Simpson, the captain of the team, received the award

[ ]

2 Our physical education teacher is one of the boys on our campus

D Clauses: Groups of words with subjects and predicates

Independent – stands alone as a sentence

• The meeting was scheduled for five o’clock because other times were inconvenient

Dependent – begins with a subordinate conjunction (although, because, if, etc.) or a relative pronoun (who, whom, that, which) but cannot stand alone, and is used as an adjective, an adverb, or a noun

• The meeting was scheduled for five o’clock because other times were inconvenient

• The young man whom I saw in my office has registered for fall quarter classes

Identify the underlined clause as independent or dependent

1 I heard the telephone ringing before you did [ ]

2 After the rain stopped, I ran to the car [ ]

3 When my family traveled to New York last summer, we visited the Theodore Roosevelt

4 The children, whom you met, are mine [ ]

5 What you say during an interview is important [ ]

6 I heard the announcement early this morning [ ]

7 John will stay with us while his parents are away on business [ ]

8 Listen carefully [ ]

9 The book that I lost has been found [ ]

10 You are known by what you do and say [ ]

E Simple, Compound, Complex, and Compound-Complex Sentences

Sentences classified according to form are simple, compound, complex, and compound complex

1 A simple sentence contains only one independent clause, and the subject, predicate, or both may be compound

• The courthouse is the oldest building in our town

• Gina and Louise are baking a yellow cake

2 A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses

• You did an excellent job, and you deserve good pay

• This is the right way; that way leads to the pond

3 A complex sentence consists of one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses

• The person who carries these packages will receive a Coke

• When you are sick, you need rest

4 A compound-complex sentence has at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause

• After he played ball, he ate his dinner; then he studied

• The old man complained because no one had asked his advice, and he felt

neglected and worthless

Identify each sentence as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex

1 The chicken and three chicks crossed the highway

2 We cannot read unless there is more light

3 I drive safely, but I can have an accident at any time

4 Georgia will telephone you today

5 When my uncle visited here, he was charmed by the beauty of the seashore, and he

enjoyed the calm of the mountains

III F RAGMENTS , R UN - ONS , AND S ENTENCES

A Fragments

Every sentence has a subject and a predicate and expresses a complete thought A word group that does not express a complete thought is a fragment The most common types

of fragments are as follows:

1 dependent clause – fragments starting with words such as after, because, since, when, then, before

• After the game ended

2 –ing and to – fragments with –ing or to at or near the beginning of a word group

• Learning about computers

• To learn about various kinds of computers

3 added-detail – fragments starting with words such as for example, such as, also, especially

• Especially during the final quarter of the game

4 missing-subject – fragments with a verb but no subject

• Was beginning his college career

5 missing verb – fragments with a subject but no verb

• The boy in the yard with his sister

Correct fragments by adding them to preceding or following independent clauses, by adding a subject or predicate or both, by adding a helping verb, or by totally revising the sentence

Rewrite the following fragments as sentences

1 My little brother and his friend

[ ]

B Run-ons

Run-on sentences are two or more sentences combined without adequate punctuation

• The class was canceled then I had to register again

• The class was canceled, then I had to register again

Correct run-ons by using one of the following methods:

1 Use a period and a capital to separate the two thoughts

• The class was canceled Then I had to register again

2 Use a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, yet, so, for) to connect the two complete thoughts

• The class was canceled, so I had to register again

3 Use a semicolon to separate the two complete thoughts

• The class was canceled; I had to register again

4 Use subordination

• Because the class was canceled, I had to register again

5 Use a conjunctive adverb

• The class was canceled; therefore, I had to register again

• The class was canceled; thus I had to register again

Using various methods, rewrite each run-on as a complete sentence

1. William and Robert attended the concert in Raleigh, Mary met them later

Identify each word group as a fragment, a run-on, or a sentence

1 I taken a course in English [ ]

2 Police arrested the suspect he resisted their efforts [ ]

3 The circus came to town, everyone was thrilled [ ]

4 When he was ill last winter [ ]

5 Running a supermarket near the mall

IV M ODIFIERS : A DJECTIVES AND A DVERBS

Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns and are capitalized when derived from proper nouns

• A French customer preferred this green cocktail dress for the ambassador’s state dinner

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs

• He is not really excited about performing immediately on stage

Adjectives and adverbs form positive, comparative, and superlative degrees

Positive degree describes one thing:

• Adjective – Tom is tall He is intelligent

• Adverb – Tom runs quickly He thinks intelligently

Comparative degree describes two things:

• Adjective – Tom is taller than Tim

Tom is more intelligent than I am in science

• Adverb – Tom runs more quickly than I do

Tom runs faster than I do

Superlative degree describes three or more things:

• Adjective – Tom is the tallest student in his freshman class

Tom is the most intelligent of all the students in his class

• Adverb – Tom runs most quickly of all the competitors

Tom runs fastest of all the five boys

Circle the choice appropriate to formal English:

1 The number of countries burdened by war has risen (considerable, considerably)

2 This looks like the (better, best) apartment of the five to rent

3 He feels (good, well) all the time

4 The economic reports are (pretty, mighty, rather) depressing

5 The situation looks (bad, badly) now

6 The days were (amazing, amazingly) hot

7 The other tie is (more narrow, narrower) than this one

8 The old house on the hill is the (more mysterious, most mysterious) dwelling

• Incorrect – Running in a race, the finish is the hardest

• Correct – When you are running in a race, the finish is the hardest

Running in a race, I find the finish the hardest

• Incorrect – When selecting a car, an honest salesperson must be found

• Correct – When selecting a car, you must find an honest salesperson

Underline the dangling modifier, and then correct it by using one or both of the methods listed

1 As a science major, my ambition is to work in a research lab

Misplaced modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that, because of awkward placement,

do not describe the words the writer intended to describe Place modifiers as closely as possible to the words they modify

• Misplaced – They could see the rainbow sitting on the front porch

• Corrected – Sitting on the front porch, they could see the rainbow

Rewrite the sentences by moving the misplaced modifiers to the correct position

1 Have you only eaten one piece of apple pie?

Present Present Participle Past Past Participle

Underline the correct form of the verb

1 We have (reach, reached) our goal

2 Brian had (says, said) traffic might be heavy

3 We have (bring, brought) snacks for the party

4 The car in front of us (ran, run) out of gas

5 We (rode, ridden) to the beach

6 A bird (flew, flown) overhead

7 I (knew, known) the combination to the lock

8 Yesterday, I (saw, seen) the newspaper

B Present, Past, and Future

The perfect tenses are present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect (use helping verbs and past participle)

Present: I sing

Future: I will sing

Present Perfect: I have sung He has sung

Past Perfect: When Jane arrived, I had sung

Future Perfect: I shall have sung before the play ends

Write present, past, future, present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect to

identify the tense of the verb in each sentence

1 Who wrote this book? [ ]

2 Mr Smith had learned new welding techniques [ ]

3 They will unveil the portrait during the ceremony [ ]

4 Mark enjoys the computer course [ ]

5 Christina has applied for that position [ ]

6 You will have mastered many skills by then [ ]

C Active and Passive Voice of Verbs

Use the active voice of the verb as often as possible because it is more effective A verb

is in the active voice when the subject does the action

• Passive Voice – Bill is often invited to parties by Tina

• Active Voice – Tina often invites Bill to parties

Rewrite each sentence so that the verb is in the active voice

1 The practice was canceled by the coach

D Unneeded Tense Shifts

Avoid unneeded shifts in showing time

• Tense Shift – He reads the paper and listened to the radio each day

• Corrected – He read the paper and listened to the radio each day

He reads the paper and listens to the radio each day

Rewrite the sentences, avoiding shifts in verb tense

1 Last year, Al played lead guitar in a rock band and sings most of the vocals

VII Subject-Verb Agreement

A verb must agree in number with its subject A singular subject (one person or thing) takes a singular verb; a plural subject (more than one person or thing) takes a plural verb Mistakes in subject-verb agreement are sometimes made in the following situations:

1 When words come between –the subject and the verb

• The daffodils in the pasture are beautiful

2 When a verb comes before the subject

• Down the side walk run the four children Where is the team?

3 With indefinite pronouns

• Everyone has finished Few have arrived

4 With compound subjects

• Mary or her parents sign the documents

• Mary and her brother attend UNC-CH

5 With collective nouns

• The team plays an opponent from Texas today

Circle the verb that agrees with the subject

1 Jill (calls, call) her car “Wheels.”

2 The two pilots (flies, fly) each day

3 I (eats, eat) too much

4 Everybody (does, do) his best